Aaron Philo scrambled for a go-ahead 18-yard touchdown with 22 seconds left, helping Georgia Tech beat North Carolina State 30-29 in Atlantic Coast Conference play on Thursday in Atlanta.
The Yellow Jackets trailed 29-23 with 1:30 remaining before Philo orchestrated a seven-play, 75-yard drive that included two 18-yard rushes, the second being the game-winner. Aidan Birr kicked the extra point for the lead.
NC State's Collin Smith lined up for a potential game-winning 58-yard field-goal attempt with six seconds left but missed wide left.
Philo's heroics came soon after Hollywood Smothers put the Wolfpack ahead 29-23 on a 53-yard touchdown run with 1:30 left.
Philo completed 19 of 33 passes for 265 yards and an interception and added 57 rushing yards and a touchdown as Georgia Tech (7-4, 5-3 ACC) won its second straight game. Eric Singleton Jr. caught five passes for 106 yards.
CJ Bailey completed 17 of 30 passes for 147 yards for NC State (5-6, 2-5) and was picked off three times. Bailey rushed for 83 yards and three scores, while Smothers finished with 79 yards on the ground as the Wolfpack fell for a second straight game.
After Georgia Tech held a 13-7 halftime lead, Philo's 49-yard pass to Singleton set up Aidan Birr's 45-yard field goal at the 3:55 mark of the third. NC State cut its deficit to 16-14 with Bailey's 28-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Later in the third, Philo's 38-yard pass to Singleton advanced the Yellow Jackets to NC State's 12-yard line. Philo was then intercepted in the end zone by Bishop Fitzgerald, who returned it to the Wolfpack's 18-yard line.
Trailing by two with 6:53 left, Bailey gave it right back to the Yellow Jackets, as Romello Height returned the third Georgia Tech takeaway to NC State's 3-yard line. Haynes King extended the Yellow Jackets' lead to 23-14 on the next play with a scoring rush at the 6:40 mark.
NC State then drove 75 yards in just over 2 1/2 minutes as Kendrick Raphael's 25-yard run was followed by Bailey's 1-yard rushing score -- his third of the game.
After forcing a three-and-out, the Wolfpack took their first lead on Smothers' 53-yard run. Bailey ran in the 2-point conversion to give NC State a 29-23 lead.
Georgia Tech opened the scoring as Bailey's attempted handoff to KC Concepcion was tipped in the air and intercepted by E.J. Lightsey, who returned it for a 21-yard touchdown at the 7:18 mark of the first quarter.
NC State answered with a nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive, capped with Bailey's 16-yard rushing touchdown with 2:37 left in the first quarter. Georgia Tech ended its next two drives with Birr's field goals of 44 and 41 yards, respectively.
--Field Level Media
NC State | Georgia Tech | |
CJ Bailey | Player | Aaron Philo |
9 | Attempts | 7 |
83 | Yards | 57 |
9.2 | Avg Yards | 8.1 |
3 | Touchdowns | 1 |
0 | Long | 0 |
NC State | Georgia Tech | |
Jordan Waters | Player | Eric Singleton Jr. |
3 | Receptions | 5 |
45 | Yards | 106 |
15.0 | Avg Yards | 21.2 |
0 | Touchdowns | 0 |
0 | Long | 0 |
Yards | Scoring | Defense | ||||||
Team | Tot | Rus | Pas | TD | FG | INT | Sck | FF |
NC State | 400 | 253 | 147 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 |
Georgia Tech | 391 | 119 | 272 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1.0 | 0 |